I believe, one of the most important aspects of teaching is caring. Teachers must care for students and what becomes of them. Students have likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, needs and wants, hopes and dreams no different from anyone else. I help them with the education that can greatly influence their futures so I consider myself a part of their hopes and dreams. That leap-of-faith on their part bestows me with enormous interest in what becomes of them. It makes me a better teacher and a better person. I find that when I care they care back, and that becomes the foundation for learning.
Listening goes hand and hand with caring. Teaching is impossible without listening. The success of my teaching depends on feedback during class,
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Not only do I owe my students the time I spend with them but also time spent on their behalf. For me to be a complete teaching professional, I must offer time for conversation. I need to be in the classroom before class begins and be available after class is over. My office door needs to be open, with me inside as much as possible for students to stop by or call for my help, advice, or whatever they need. I owe them the time to discuss career alternatives they may be wrestling with, or personal concerns they may bring to me. I owe my students the time necessary to plan and write the best lessons my skills will allow. I owe them the time required to write constructive honest feedback when grading assignments. I also owe them time in reflection, thinking about how I might do my job better and serve them more effectively. Good teaching is time consuming. I have discovered through the years that a very important thing I can do for my students is take time to share my experiences with them. Part of the reason for this is, I feel they deserve to relate to a person genuinely willing to expose their feelings, values, and a distinctive viewpoint about society and the world. There is a freedom in just being me that helps teaching and learning to happen. There is an honesty that becomes a part of one-on-one relationships that can be achieved no other …show more content…
This commitment is the result of my own learning experiences. As my life has evolved, I have become increasingly aware that the people who have held me to higher standards are the ones I hold in increasingly higher regard. In my own teaching, if there is one thing that teaching has taught me, it is that I will not get more by asking for less. Therefore, my teaching style is rigorous and demanding. I consider myself a lifelong learner and promote that attitude with my students. My students need to learn the value of reading, writing, and reflective thought and I provide those opportunities. My goal is to leave my students stronger after they interact with me. Students should leave my class with a new perspective, a question to ponder, or a curiosity to explore. Students should also leave my class with confidence that together we are charting the path he/she wants, or at least making progress toward finding a